There’s been a lot of talk about Michele Bachmann’s photo on the cover of this week’s Newsweek, whether she’s being set up to look crazy or daft, however, the real conversation should probably be surrounding Ryan Lizza’s feature on the congresswoman in next week’s New Yorker. Talking about whether she looks crazy confuses the real issue: whether her ideas are just plain dangerous:
While looking over Bachmann’s State Senate campaign Web site, I stumbled upon a list of book recommendations. The third book on the list, which appeared just before the Declaration of Independence and George Washington’s Farewell Address, is a 1997 biography of Robert E. Lee by J. Steven Wilkins.
Wilkins is the leading proponent of the theory that the South was an orthodox Christian nation unjustly attacked by the godless North. This revisionist take on the Civil War, known as the “theological war” thesis, had little resonance outside a small group of Southern historians until the mid-twentieth century, when Rushdoony and others began to popularize it in evangelical circles. In the book, Wilkins condemns “the radical abolitionists of New England” and writes that “most southerners strove to treat their slaves with respect and provide them with a sufficiency of goods for a comfortable, though—by modern standards—spare existence.”
African slaves brought to America, he argues, were essentially lucky: “Africa, like any other pagan country, was permeated by the cruelty and barbarism typical of unbelieving cultures.” Echoing Eidsmoe, Wilkins also approvingly cites Lee’s insistence that abolition could not come until “the sanctifying effects of Christianity” had time “to work in the black race and fit its people for freedom.”
In his chapter on race relations in the antebellum South, Wilkins writes:
Slavery, as it operated in the pervasively Christian society which was the old South, was not an adversarial relationship founded upon racial animosity. In fact, it bred on the whole, not contempt, but, over time, mutual respect. This produced a mutual esteem of the sort that always results when men give themselves to a common cause. The credit for this startling reality must go to the Christian faith. . . . The unity and companionship that existed between the races in the South prior to the war was the fruit of a common faith.
For several years, the book, which Bachmann’s campaign declined to discuss with me, was listed on her Web site, under the heading “Michele’s Must Read List.”
I doubt Bachmann would give a straight answer, but someone in the national media needs to ask her whether Wilkins’ book is still a “must read”.
This article appears in Aug 11-17, 2011.
This is one scary beachhh. Palin pales in comparison
Yeah! Kinda reminds me of the preachings of Jeremiah Wright! Wasn’t he that one guy’s pastor for years? What was his name?
She is scary plus one of the Tea Parties craziest.
I sure do hope this “progressive” movement is a temporary, generational thing, like fascism or communism. If so it’ll die out with all the hippies and their minions, but then who’ll read the “Weekly” except maybe canaries having a bowel movement.
the Red Commie Weakly is what’s dangerous…obvious propaganda article.
If she is elected, we deserve oblivion! Didn’t we have enough of that idiot Bush and Cheney for God’s sake? Carl Rove will make her a patriot, rap her in a flag, and the public will eat her up with a spoon! The only reason nut jobs get elected in the first place is most Americans sit on their ass and don’t get involved with the important things in life: reality shows, Harry Potter,the WWE. We do not have a well informed electorate. If we did we would not be in this mess right now!
So we should be afraid of someone who tells us to read a book by an author who wrote other books that weren’t politically correct. I think we’re reaching a little here. Find a real reason to be afraid of her. Oh yeah I think she is unellectable and crazy but that doesn’t mean a give a crap about the author of a book she suggests we read. Bob Nobb I like the weekly and my libertarian ass is probably more conservative than yours ha ha.
She is part of racist America that cannot accept the reality of a smart black/white man elected to the presidency. Much of America is confused and those who voted for the Bush should be taxed to pay for his destructive folly!!! Two unfunded wars and a tax cut!! They wonder why we are in such a mess!!
Yeah, he’s real smart!
So, forty years later, some hayseed still thinks that the progressive movement is temporary? No wonder conservatives want to cut education to the bone; a very little bit of reading would dispel that recalcitrant notion.
Mindy,
If our president is sooo smart, why did he extend the Bush tax cuts?
It’s no wonder this country is in trouble. Just look at it’s citizens. They’re all idiots. Anyone who looks back to the crash of 2007 will realize that it was exactly the same time it became apparent that BO was going to win the election that things fell apart. Plus, we’ve had a Democrat congress since 2006. Blame Bush, blame Cheney, blame Rove, or fear Bachmann and Palin. It is YOUR fault this country is the way it is. You idiots elected this current bunch of bone heads. Now, pay for your mistake. Tax the rich. Go ahead. They will take their money, which starts businesses and creates jobs, and they will move it overseas. You “progressives” (read socialists) are soooo smart, aren’t you?
the gop loves to put stepford wives out there so men will vote for them. God forbid an intelligent woman runs on the gop ticket.
I find this writer’s opinion very different than mine!!!!!!!!! You have to attack someone because they look alive in their picture, etc.?! That shows real intelligence. I am too busy for this stupid stuff to write further. Then I have to put up with an advertisement from TD’s when I went to your comment policy!! My opinion of the Weekly has gone done.
Sounds to me like maybe Dan, the author of this story , may be afraid of alot of things..
The Queen Of Rage, has no chance of ever being president of the United States, no way ,never happen ..
Dan thinks Bachmann is dangerous, makes him nervous , maybe the thought of her upsets him.. All women may upset him, no way to know being he has not diclosed this info..
Maybe some of these “Opinion Writers, smoked the same get right Obama did or maybe still do and without it women upset them…
Some people cannot understand that not all people in the U.S. or world are educated or raised like they were..
Bachman is a old school hard shell christian fundamentalist. Not a watered down modernistic, no back bone new age gold digger christian …
Chick maybe really out there , but at least she has the guts to not hide her true colors like our fake paper president has and does..
Bachmann will make a great Secretary of Defense, no presidential material here.
Hunter: I’m a big fan of women, including the one I’m married to. In fact, I have enough respect for my wife that I let her make her own decisions regarding her career (which is a little more than can be said for Bachmann’s husband: http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/07/…)
For the record, I have no problem with conservatives (I’d actually like Huntsman to be taken a little more seriously as a presidential candidate), but I do have a problem with people who would re-write history to say we were doing the right thing as a country importing slaves. That’s an intellectual idea that’s just outside the realm of acceptable thought for me. If you’d like to defend slave importation as being ethically sound, go for it.
More of the same from the Progressive Democrat crowd. Look, morons, you’ve foisted this administration and former Congresses upon us, and that’s where the majority of the current damage originated. Step aside and let the people with a plan to recover this country run things — you’ve done quite enough already.
William: There are Republicans that don’t want to send American culture and values back to the 1950’s, right? Pick one of them to run, because then it might actually be interesting. Instead, if you want to be taken seriously, stop propping up candidates who believe that America should become a Christian nation at the expense of every other belief or experience that doesn’t resemble their own.
Seems to me Tucson Weekly is biased. Whether you like Bachmann or not, the job of the media is to report, not base their opinions.
Hmmm, so Gibson reported on the book Bachmann pushes on her website and can’t state the obvious: that it’s premise (and, by implication, the people who recommend it) are batshit crazy? Might not be his job as a reporter to give opinions, but I’ll gladly accept it as his civic duty.
When an emperor has no clothes, it’s hardly bias to point out their nudity.
I don’t see why certain MSM were all over Newsweek for this “unfair” photo. If this is what she looks like…..
I am very afraid of her face
I’m also afraid of the harassing phone calls her people decided to bombard me with today. Even if I had half my IQ and was a Republican, I would still be smart enough not to back her.
I think any words spoken in defense of Bachmann can be immediately nullified once you really take a look at this terrifying profile shot. It’s in the eyes. Also, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmWcCwzpUG4…
So suppose there was a president Bachmann and the age old tensions between Pakistan an India flare up and intensify. Remember that both have nuclear weapons. Since the US has so often played a mediator role, how would Pres Bachmann handle this ? Would she sit down with these leaders and try to calm the tension, play listener to both sides so each feels heard, perhaps invite a third neutral country to help them find a solution and agree to a pact ? Or would she tell them they both need to convert to christianity and the problems will be solved ? Perhaps she’d have a list of “Christian” books they could read. What American in their right mind would vote for her ?